GROCKSHD
Member
All you Virginian's ready for another winter storm? Hampton Roads is expected to get 5-10 inches of snow. Guess I have to put my motorcycle back in the garage again 
Winter Sotrm Watch
- Thread starter GROCKSHD
- Start date
- Status
mikev
Member
Looks like there's only a small chance of snow up here in the Northern part of the state... 40-50% chance only, no advisories, watches, or anything as of right now.
searingxheretic
Member
Love having to drive to and from work in the snow around here. I don't mind driving in the snow, but it's the crazies in the minivans or pt cruisers flying by at 80mph that you have to watch out for...
GROCKSHD
Member
I know what you mean, I work in Newport News and live in Norfolk... the HRBT is gonna be a nightmare. BTW I'm also traveling to King George on Sunday do I hope mikey is right about the snow percentage up towards the north.
vdot
I have the frequencies in my 396t from radio reference, but I am not hearing anything as of yet. Anything you guys have that I may get? I am in the heart of Virginia Beach, and I think I should be hearing something.
Thanks,
Greg
ki4bbl
Virginia Beach Crazy Lights in Kempsville
I have the frequencies in my 396t from radio reference, but I am not hearing anything as of yet. Anything you guys have that I may get? I am in the heart of Virginia Beach, and I think I should be hearing something.
Thanks,
Greg
ki4bbl
Virginia Beach Crazy Lights in Kempsville
GROCKSHD
Member
I usually only pick up all the Tunnels and road assistance. You should at least hear 47.3000 C110,9.
I haven't heard anything in regards to the storm coming, but I really haven't been monitoring VDOT either.
richrowl
Member
Winter Storm activity Richmond
So far all the storm prep activity has been with Transfield the private contractor maintaing the Interstates. They are active on 452.2375 LCN-1 on an LTR system. Doing roll calls with sub-contractors furnishing truck spreaders with plows, plows only, spreaders only. Roll calls indicate at least 20-30 sub-contractor trucks on stand-by positioned at multiple locations in addition to Transfield's equipment. No VDOT activity as of 9:25pm.
Anyone know who maintains the Tidewater/Williamsburg area and/or have a frequency for them..I would suspect they may be on a Gately repeater.
So far all the storm prep activity has been with Transfield the private contractor maintaing the Interstates. They are active on 452.2375 LCN-1 on an LTR system. Doing roll calls with sub-contractors furnishing truck spreaders with plows, plows only, spreaders only. Roll calls indicate at least 20-30 sub-contractor trucks on stand-by positioned at multiple locations in addition to Transfield's equipment. No VDOT activity as of 9:25pm.
Anyone know who maintains the Tidewater/Williamsburg area and/or have a frequency for them..I would suspect they may be on a Gately repeater.
searingxheretic
Member
Pretty much all of I-64 from the HRBT to Richmond is serviced by Infrastructure corporation of america (ICA).
I don't have a frequency as of now, but I will see if I can dig one up, I can possibly get a CloseCall hit from them tonight once they start on I-64.
I don't have a frequency as of now, but I will see if I can dig one up, I can possibly get a CloseCall hit from them tonight once they start on I-64.
Last edited:
GROCKSHD
Member
So how about this snow... VSP STARS is on fire, channels being used I havent ever heard traffic on.
I am located up on the very northern tip of the Eastern Shore.
Been listening to VSP all morning. They have their hands fulls. Lost of coordination with VDOT and wreck reports. Several troopers are reporting they are having a hard time getting around and having to move really slow to get from scene to scene.
Just heard a call come in for some guy that spun all the way around and is stuck facing traffic. Sounds like a blast. I was hoping to get to the post office and tax office today, looks I will have to put that on hold until the clear the roads up here. That will be a long time. Nothing happens fast up here!
EDIT: I forgot to mention, we were forecasted to have the snow start around 10 last night. It did'nt start until about 5AM this morning, so the snow here is not as deep as elsewhere. I just got some pictures from the Roanoke area and they are already at 7" and still coming down hard.
Been listening to VSP all morning. They have their hands fulls. Lost of coordination with VDOT and wreck reports. Several troopers are reporting they are having a hard time getting around and having to move really slow to get from scene to scene.
Just heard a call come in for some guy that spun all the way around and is stuck facing traffic. Sounds like a blast. I was hoping to get to the post office and tax office today, looks I will have to put that on hold until the clear the roads up here. That will be a long time. Nothing happens fast up here!
EDIT: I forgot to mention, we were forecasted to have the snow start around 10 last night. It did'nt start until about 5AM this morning, so the snow here is not as deep as elsewhere. I just got some pictures from the Roanoke area and they are already at 7" and still coming down hard.
fmon
Silent Key Jan. 14, 2012
Try VB Smartnet TG 45296 Roads Plows.
Fairfax is starting to get bad. VSP is staying busy with wrecks and disabled vehicles. They've already picked up a drunk driver too (at 10 am, jeez...)
VDOT is apparently just now getting around to treating I-66 which probably explains why there have been so many spinouts and one-car wrecks.
VDOT is apparently just now getting around to treating I-66 which probably explains why there have been so many spinouts and one-car wrecks.
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2002
- Messages
- 1,029
Culpeper has only two dispatchers working, but additional Div 2 Troopers have come on duty. What good does it do to bring on more Troopers when there are no dispatchers answering the phone? Because the State of Emergency is only for the southern half, does that mean VSP can't call in more dispatchers for Culpeper? Frederick Co. can't get thru on the phone to coordinate a five car auto ped wreck on I-81. They did eventually get thru to a Trooper on SIRS who relayed to Culpeper who said they were aware of wrecks all over Frederick Co.
It reminds me of the days before MDT/MDC's. Fifteen LEO's get called in on DUI overtime for a checkpoint, but no additional dispatchers were called in and you would end up waiting forever to get clearances.
SB I-81 is closed around the border and it also sounds like Berkeley Co has at least one wreck on I-81.
(1253) I-81 being closed around Mount Jackson. 20-30 vehicle crash with HAZMAT issues. One vehicle cut in half. One patient trapped under a vehicle. Getting the mobile command post ready. Ordering additional EMS.
Last edited:
Burns, your post had me wondering about something.
When I was dispatching in 1st Division (1996-2000), we would often use the same funds to pay for an extra dispatcher/call-taker that we paying for the sworn folks to work the DUI checkpoint.
Also, was 2nd Division really only working with TWO dispatchers/call-takers? I haven't heard of a VSP comm center working with only two (except on some midnight shifts) in years.
As for the local jurisdictions trying to get through and being unsuccessful, that was occuring when I was dispatching there. Despite have a dedicated law-enforcement-only phone line for the other localities to call in on (which was given 2nd priority, 2nd only to #77 & 911 calls), only a handful of agencies would use it, with the rest of the calls coming in via regular non-emergency lines. We simply didn't have the personnel to handle the number of routine phone calls we dealt with during a normal shift, let alone storm conditions. My ex-wife was dispatching for another agency at the time, and would cuss me when she got home for no one answering the VSP phone when she was trying to give us an incident. I asked her if she'd use the LE-only line, which she never did. Oh well...
Remember, please stay off the roads if you don't have to be out there - and returning your Blockbuster rental doesn't constitute a reason to be out there. :wink:
When I was dispatching in 1st Division (1996-2000), we would often use the same funds to pay for an extra dispatcher/call-taker that we paying for the sworn folks to work the DUI checkpoint.
Also, was 2nd Division really only working with TWO dispatchers/call-takers? I haven't heard of a VSP comm center working with only two (except on some midnight shifts) in years.
As for the local jurisdictions trying to get through and being unsuccessful, that was occuring when I was dispatching there. Despite have a dedicated law-enforcement-only phone line for the other localities to call in on (which was given 2nd priority, 2nd only to #77 & 911 calls), only a handful of agencies would use it, with the rest of the calls coming in via regular non-emergency lines. We simply didn't have the personnel to handle the number of routine phone calls we dealt with during a normal shift, let alone storm conditions. My ex-wife was dispatching for another agency at the time, and would cuss me when she got home for no one answering the VSP phone when she was trying to give us an incident. I asked her if she'd use the LE-only line, which she never did. Oh well...
Remember, please stay off the roads if you don't have to be out there - and returning your Blockbuster rental doesn't constitute a reason to be out there. :wink:
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2002
- Messages
- 1,029
The dispatcher said "we only have 2 dispatchers working". Perhaps she wasn't counting the Ch 3 side, but I took it to mean that there was only one dispatcher/call taker working each channel. Will STARS have PSAP to PSAP TG's? Ideally there would be multiple PSAP TG's for different geographical areas. Using plain jane interop TG's for PSAP to PSAP results in too much traffic on days like today. Of course if there are no extra dispatchers on-duty, the hardware makes no difference.
Looks like more headed the way of NoVA tonight:
EJB
20 + year membership
Pardon me for intruding but how much snow would bring your area of Virginia to its knees (i.e. messing up traffic, closing schools, work, etc).
I live just outside Toronto Canada and we have not had really any snow this winter, less than 10 inches has fallen(we live in an area where the lake moderates our climate and mountains behind us block snow), we probably have had less than you guys. Normally we get anywhere from 30-60 inches a year and maybe 2 or 3 storms.
Here anywhere from 2-5 inches makes it very hard to get around and anything more than that closes schools.
Good luck and enjoy the snow, as I speak we are getting a little light snow from the same system that might bring you a storm.
I live just outside Toronto Canada and we have not had really any snow this winter, less than 10 inches has fallen(we live in an area where the lake moderates our climate and mountains behind us block snow), we probably have had less than you guys. Normally we get anywhere from 30-60 inches a year and maybe 2 or 3 storms.
Here anywhere from 2-5 inches makes it very hard to get around and anything more than that closes schools.
Good luck and enjoy the snow, as I speak we are getting a little light snow from the same system that might bring you a storm.
As far as Northern VA, the storm we had in December dumped anywhere from 18-24 inches over the weekend I believe. That was enough to shut down most everything around DC Saturday and Sunday. A lot of people (including me) managed to get to work Monday morning but that was only possible because of 24x7 plowing and road treatment.
VDOT does a pretty reasonable job of keeping the main highways treated and plowed during storms, but local municipalities are responsible for clearing smaller roads and side streets, etc. in the suburbs. They are hit and miss depending on their resources. If you live in a densely populated area/city your street will probably be plowed fairly quickly. But if you live further in the county you may have to wait a couple of days for a plow to get to you. Probably the same story in Canada.
I'm pretty sure the schools have all taken 2-4 snow days this year so far, which I think is about average. We were lucky as far as weather LAST winter, and had a pretty easy go of it. This year not so much... There has been snow on the ground (or in large piles) in some places since mid-december and there isn't much sign of it letting up. After the storm tonight we are supposed to get another one Friday and Saturday, and then another one possibly on Tuesday.
The guys in SoVA may have different insight, they were hit much harder by the storm last weekend than we were. I'm not certain how capable some of the cities are in handling snow down south but I would think that VDOT can do a comparable job of keeping the highways clear compared to here.
VDOT does a pretty reasonable job of keeping the main highways treated and plowed during storms, but local municipalities are responsible for clearing smaller roads and side streets, etc. in the suburbs. They are hit and miss depending on their resources. If you live in a densely populated area/city your street will probably be plowed fairly quickly. But if you live further in the county you may have to wait a couple of days for a plow to get to you. Probably the same story in Canada.
I'm pretty sure the schools have all taken 2-4 snow days this year so far, which I think is about average. We were lucky as far as weather LAST winter, and had a pretty easy go of it. This year not so much... There has been snow on the ground (or in large piles) in some places since mid-december and there isn't much sign of it letting up. After the storm tonight we are supposed to get another one Friday and Saturday, and then another one possibly on Tuesday.
The guys in SoVA may have different insight, they were hit much harder by the storm last weekend than we were. I'm not certain how capable some of the cities are in handling snow down south but I would think that VDOT can do a comparable job of keeping the highways clear compared to here.
searingxheretic
Member
It is a bit of a different story in SE Virginia, IMO. Here it seems as though even an inch of snow is enough to cause traffic problems. As in the case with this last weekend, 10 inches of snow is definitely crippling. It snowed on Saturday, and as of today (Tuesday) most schools are still closed. VDOT did a really good job, but the cities/counties weren't so good. Most of the cities have roughly 15 plow trucks, I know this is true for Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Newport News. This makes their job nearly impossible. Also, most cities don't have salt to put on the roads, they simply dump loads of sand which really doesn't do much for heavy snow/ice. For as much snow as we got, all involved did a great job, but due to infrastructure and how infrequently we get snow, even a small amount is enough to cause a problem.
- Status
